On trade and travel, Trump has an opportunity to bolster US-Israel ties

February 6, 2017

    Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu at Google’s Tel Aviv office

By Daniel Shapiro and Scott Lasensky: When President Trump meets Prime Minister Netanyahu next week at the White House, the two are expected to discuss Iran, Syria and Israeli-Palestinian issues, including the Trump campaign promise to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv and what the White House recently called “settlement activity.”

But if Trump would like to generate even closer ties between the two countries and greater prosperity for Americans and Israelis, he should consider a public pledge to move faster toward renewing the U.S. Free Trade Agreement with Israel and helping Israelis qualify for visa-free travel to the United States.